Kinase inhibitors in cancer therapy - A look ahead

The most essential kinases involved in cell membrane receptor activation, s ignal transduction and cell cycle control or programmed cell death and thei r interconections are reviewed. In tumours, the genes of many of those kina ses are mutated or amplified or the proteins are overexpressed. The use of key kinases offers the possibility to screen in vitro for synthe tic small molecule kinase inhibitors. In view of the many interconnections of cellular kinases, their role in preventing or inducing programmed cell d eath and the possibility that a considerable number of signal transducing p roteins are still unknown, cellular test systems are recommended in which t he respective key kinase or one of its main partner molecules are overexpre ssed.